Manufacturers of molded or formed parts, such as automobile parts, wire coatings, durable and disposable goods parts, medical parts, soft touch overmolded parts, extruded parts or co-extruded parts, building and construction parts, appliance parts, electrical parts, industrial tool parts, food and potable water contact parts, housewares, sporting goods, consumer and industrial applications, or the like often choose a particular resin such as a thermoplastic elastomer or vulcanizate based on factors such as processability, chemical resistance, and/or mechanical properties, or the like. The inventors believed there was a need in the art to provide a composition that offers desirable properties such as chemical resistance and low swelling in fluids at high temperature.
Many different types of thermoplastic elastomer blends and vulcanizates are known in the art wherein the rubber component includes a styrene-containing rubber, a natural rubber, synthetic rubber, EPDM rubber, and a crystalline component can be, for example, olefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene, polyesters and even polyamides, or combinations thereof. Examples of such compositions are as follows.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,557 relates to polymeric blends of a styrene/acrylonitrile grafted elastomer, nylon, a compatibilizer resin particularly styrene/acrylonitrile/maleic anhydride copolymer, and a core/shell grafted elastomer having an acid functionalized shell reportedly having improved notch sensitivity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,149 relates to thermoplastic blends of amorphous polyamide resins with poly(alkenyl aromatic) resins reportedly having improved properties over previously known blends.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,726 relates to polymer blend compositions which comprise 99-1 weight percent polyamide resin, 1-99 weight percent ABS resin, and 1-100 phr of carboxylated nitrile rubbers, based upon the total weight of the polyamide and ABS resin.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,548,181 relates to a flexible polyamide composition containing at least 50 parts by weight of non-crosslinked rubber per 50 parts by weight of polyamide and the production thereof. The polyamide has a molecular weight such that the melt viscosity at the processing temperature is at most 300 Pa·s, preferably at most 200 Pa·s. The rubber's Mooney viscosity is at least 40, most preferable is a rubber with a Mooney viscosity of at least 60. The rubber has been functionalized. Preferably, a combination of a functionalized and a non-functionalized rubber is used. The rubber particles in the polyamide matrix have a particle size of at most 5 μm, preferably at most 3 μm.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,747,094 relates to a high-impact thermoplastic resin composition comprising: (A) 5 to 95 parts by weight of a thermoplastic elastomer comprising a partially or completely crosslinked saturated rubber-like polymer and a polyolefinic resin and/or a polystyrene-based resin, or a mixture of said thermoplastic elastomer and a polyolefinic resin; and (B) 95 to 5 parts by weight of at least one thermoplastic resin selected from the group consisting of polystyrene-based resins, polyamide-based resins, polyurethane-based resins, polycarbonate-based resins, acrylic resins, polyacetal-based resins and polyphenylene sulfide-based resins, the total of the components (A) and (B) being 100 parts by weight, wherein the amount of the saturated rubber-like polymer in the composition is 1 to 40% by weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,908,573 relates to a screw for a multiple screw extruder comprising at least two conveying sections for transporting a composition comprising a polymeric resin from the feed end to the discharge end of the extruder; and at least two mixing sections comprising screw elements having two flights, wherein the ratio of the length to diameter ratio of the sum of the mixing sections to the length to diameter ratio of the screw is about 0.17 to about 0.5 and wherein the conveying sections are separated by at least one mixing section.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,041,741 relates to toughened thermoplastic compositions comprising a thermoplastic polymer toughened by the inclusion of a thermoplastic elastomer derived from a particulate rubber dynamically vulcanized in the presence of a matrix polymer. The toughened thermoplastic composition exhibits properties including toughness, improved impact resistance, and improved hardness. The compositions are utilized wherever toughened, high performance polymers are desired. A method for forming the toughened polymer compositions is also described. Processing methods, such as rotational molding, utilizing the toughened polymer compositions are described.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,074,855 relates to a thermoplastic elastomer composition comprising (I) 100 parts by weight of at least one block copolymer formed by addition polymerization which is selected among block copolymers which comprise a polymer block (A) consisting of aromatic vinyl units and a polymer block (B) consisting of conjugated diene compound units and which have been crosslinked in the polymer block (A) preferably with a structural unit derived from a (C1-C8 alkyl)styrene and/or functional group and among products of hydrogenation of the copolymers, (II) 10 to 300 parts by weight of a polyolefin, and (III) 0 to 300 parts by weight of a softener for rubbers; and a process for producing the composition. The composition reportedly has excellent strain recovery at high temperatures. It is also reportedly effectively usable in various applications.
U.S. Published Application No. 2006/0178485 relates to a hydrogenated diene-based copolymer satisfying predetermined conditions, which is obtained by hydrogenating a block copolymer containing at least two polymer blocks (A) composed mainly of a vinyl aromatic compound and at least one vinyl aromatic compound-conjugated diene compound copolymer block (B). The hydrogenated diene-based copolymer is reportedly superior in processability, flexibility, weather resistance, vibration-damping property and mechanical properties, and reportedly can provide a shaped article highly flexible and superior in various properties such as mechanical properties, appearance, mar resistance, weather resistance, heat resistance, vibration-damping property, processability and the like.
European Patent Application 0 302 510 relates to a polymer blend composition comprising from about 20 to 60 weight percent polyamide, from about 30 to 80 weight percent of styrenic component, and from about 1 to 25 weight percent of a carboxylated polyolefin elastomer. In preferred embodiments, the styrenic component includes carboxylic acid-derived functional groups and the carboxylated polyolefin elastomer comprises a copolymer of ethylene and another olefin compound.
Taiwan Patent No. TW 404965B discloses an impact-resistant polystyrene/polyamide composition, comprising (a) 50-100 parts by weight of a syndiotactic styrene-based polymer; (b) 1-50 parts by weight of a polyamide; and (c) 0.01-20 parts by weight of a styrene-maleic anhydride compatibilizer. The invention is characterized by a compatibilizer which reportedly imparts toughness and flexural strength to the polymer blend of the composition.